Amid political uncertainty in Venezuela, opposition leader María Corina Machado has announced her decision not to participate in upcoming elections until what she calls the “sovereign mandate” of July 28 is respected. Machado insists that Edmundo González Urrutia was the rightful winner of the presidential election, despite the National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaiming Nicolás Maduro as the victor.

“Defending the Vote Means Respecting the Results”

Machado stated that participating in new electoral processes without guarantees of transparency undermines the vote as a democratic tool. In a video posted on the platform X, she emphasized that the July 28 election demonstrated the Venezuelan people’s will to defeat the regime on its own terms, and that this outcome must be honored before considering any new election.

For Machado, repeatedly going to the polls under an unreliable system amounts to legitimizing a process that does not respect popular sovereignty.

Call for National Unity

The former deputy reiterated the need for national unity that includes all sectors of Venezuelan society, including public officials, police, and the military. Machado stressed that the sole purpose of this unity is to uphold the results of July 2024 and restore adherence to the Constitution. She underlined that any attempt to use this struggle for personal or secondary purposes would be unacceptable.

“No More Maneuvers; Only Democratic Transition”

Machado also made it clear that any negotiation with Nicolás Maduro’s administration must focus exclusively on an orderly democratic transition. According to the opposition leader, this transition should be led by those who received the popular mandate in the 2023 primaries and the 2024 presidential elections. She insisted that Venezuela would no longer tolerate dictatorship and urged the regime to enable a peaceful change.

The Chavismo Pushes Ahead with Electoral Plans

Meanwhile, the Chavismo, led by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the National Assembly controlled by the ruling party, continues with plans for regional, legislative, and local elections scheduled for this year. However, organizations like the Popular Democratic Front have pointed out that the “wound” of the July 2024 elections remains open, insisting on the need for verifiable results to legitimize any future process.

María Corina Machado’s stance reflects widespread dissatisfaction with the current electoral system in Venezuela and the struggle to restore trust in democratic processes. Meanwhile, the country stands at a crossroads, where the political decisions of the coming months could shape its democratic future.